Note that he says the embargo was two weeks ago…yet sod all videos have appeared…the mystery continues!
So is this think all made of that sticky goop finish?
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I know people seem to have a deep hatred for YouTube creators here, but I really liked JAde Wii’s jam https://www.youtube.com/live/PegcjDCMgz8?si=rIHTTZFHYsaH8MQn
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So did only three people end up buying this and it’s “not for them”?
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I’ve been enjoying it. But traveling for work and I’ve not able to spend quality time with it.
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still no video on mini using midi external controllers on performance mode.
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This video was just published and features very good music entirely produced with the Mini. A good example of its potential.
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I feel like so many companies have recently sent review copies of gear to youtubers and asked them to not release review until a particular date which then causes multilple videos to come out at once. So now because this hasn’t happened with the mini, people are rhinking its wierd. But i think i would rather time goes by a little before reviews are released as its still early days
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It’s funny because when “synthtubers” are active it’s easy to read criticism toward them because of the work they do, and when they are missing… then it’s easy to find unhappy comments as well. 
Another paradox is that we all want to watch videos from “normal users” who have bought the device and just share their experiences, but then those videos aren’t easy to find because these users aren’t popular “synthtubers” popping up in the algorithm’s recommendations…
Anyway, here is another video with just a few views / likes / subscribers / and no comments so far and waiting for our clicks:
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OK, mine arrived and I get it: it’s a Polyend Tracker and people already know what that’s like. There’s not a huge amount to show off that isn’t obvious.
Nice things: it’s very light and feels good in the hand. The 1/2/3/4+shift navigation works very well. It’s silent on line-out on power on/off. The case zipper is indeed an engineering marvel.
Mean things: the case is so closely fitted to the device that it’s annoying to take out. You can press the Note/Instr/FX buttons without them reacting if you press at an angle (I got this often with FX1). You can see every single place that my fingers touched it.
Copy+paste is technically the same as on the OG Tracker, with a dedicated ‘copy’ and a shift ‘paste’, but the ergonomics are worse. If you hold it like a game controller and mostly use thumbs, you now need both hands to ‘paste’. If you hold it with one hand and rely more on the fingers of your other hand, then either the d-pad or the +/- buttons become less convenient depending on the free hand.
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Isn’t it portable though…travelling for work feels like the number one use case 
Out of interest, how portable does it actually feel in real life? My M8 definitely fits in the pocket and my OG PT travels in (small) luggage and often comes on holiday with me.
Where does the PTM fit on the portability scale?
Great/20
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It doesn’t fit in a shirt pocket like the M8. It also doesn’t have a speaker so you’ll need headphones. In its case it’s about the size of a book. So if you’re taking it somewhere you’ll want a bag, similar to the OG PT, with a travel advantage in that it’s lighter and smaller. The other travel advantage is that once you’re at a destination it’s comfortable to carry around by itself, without something like a USB battery pack.
I feel like the portability design discussion had “wouldn’t you want (thing) anyway?” as a guide. It doesn’t have a speaker, but wouldn’t you want better sound anyway? It doesn’t fit in a shirt pocket, but wouldn’t you want a protective case anyway? With a case the M8 doesn’t fit in my shirt pocket anymore.
If you lay a M8 on the top of a Mini it covers the screen and is flush with the sides, covering only the eight screen buttons. It’s a little bit shorter than two M8s side by side.
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A few things I’d like to know more about if you can help;
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How crisp is the information on screen? Is there much of a viewing angle, and if so is it comfortable? How’s the visibility outdoors?
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Is max volume Motorhead good or Mark Hollis quiet?
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Is the screen of a similar matt texture to the Kindle? (I love it’s roughly the same dimensions as my paper white!)
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How quickly can it charge to full?
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How good is the sound-staging?
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Have you noticed any ‘electrical-whine’ that I’ve seen someone comment on?
Cheers.
I never use the M8 without phones but I do just use earbuds as they are small, light and good enough when out and about so I’m guessing the PTM would be similar.
The M8 in its case does fit in my jacket pocket and I do find it super portable in that respect. No rucksack or ‘man-bag’ required (me being if the gentlemanly persuasion).
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I’ve only been using mine for about a week now. Sort of a portable replacement for my Digitakt.
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The viewing angles are so-so. I’ve seen better and much worse. I personally don’t have any issues with it but I can see some might struggle. Outdoor visibility is surpirsingly good - you can change the theme to light if needs be
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Max volume surprised me but wouldn’t say motorhead levels
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Screen texture is sort of a matte finish, I’ve never used a Kindle so I cant comment on that.
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Full charge took about 30 mins
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Not looked into the sound staging yet.
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Not noticed any electrical whining either.
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30mins for a full charge? Bloody hell that’s good!!
Thanks for the great feedback, much appreciated.
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No problem! I’ve only charged it once and I don’t think it was fully flat so that’s my best guess I’m afraid. The battery life seems excellent though.
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Got one. Everything was looking good until I opened the (very nice) case.
Oh my god. Did Polyend cut a deal to use TE’s manufacturing team? Were the quality checkers from the OP-Z crew?
- the buttons feel extremely cheap and there is way to much depth to them.
- the back has a bulge, which I’m not entirely sure was intentional. In an odd way it does make a nice placement for your fingers, but on the other hand it really does look like a fckup. The four notched feet don’t even touch down! (gonna upload video later)
- the silky smooth coating feels wonderful BUT there is a seam (top section, base section), and this seam…well…On the LHS the top section juts out. Yet on every other side the base sticks out. Utterly shoddy, and very far from the perfect built quality of a Paper-white Kindle.
- it’s lighter than I expected it to be, and certainly not the listed weight.
- the screen surface feels like a matt monitor type material…which I like!
To be honest, I’m really not sure what to do. I’ve so far resisted turning it on. I know that sounds ridiculous but I have learned from the pieceofshit that is the/my op-z. I don’t know if every Mini has the same issues or not (gonna ask around today) but I don’t want to turn the thing on and start loving it and making justifications for the flaws.